A CLEVER TRICK. How a Tramp Travelled From Omaha to New York on One Dollar.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 308, 17 October 1888, Page 3

A CLEVER TRICK. How a Tramp Travelled From Omaha to New York on One Dollar.

During the winter of 1877 a large number of telegraph operators who had gone out to Omaha from New York were discharged owing to lack of work. Among them was one, Jim Doody by name, who had saved nothing and was totally unprepared for Iho catastrophe. He awoke one morning with just one dollar in his pocket. His relatives lived in New York and how to get there was a question that severely agitated Jim's mind. Finally he evolved a scheme, desperate but clever. lie was well-dressed and looked as neat and gentlemanly as could be. Going into the tickel-nllice he as>ked for a ticket to New York. The clerk took one out, stamped il> and handed it over. Jim looked at it a moment, then suddenly lemembered an engagement fco be kept before leaving town and rushed out of the office. In this way ho found ont what a New York ticket looked like. Next, ho secured an old calendar, printed on paper somewhat resembling a long distance sectional railway ticket, and from this he cut a strip of proper width. This strip he folded in 5-uch a way as to represent tho various coupons and with this ab-urd counterfeit of a ticket he proposed to reach New York. It cost him fifty cents to cross Ihe United States transfer bridge between Omaha and Council Bluffs so his capital was just that much less. Jim reached Council Blufls just before dark, with his satchel in hand, and waited for the night express eastward. Ib was late and before tho start was made the night became very dark. \Yh le tho train was waiting at the station Jim boarded the last of the passenger coaches and propaied for his "grand bluff." Putting hi& silk hat in a rack, ho took a sofctra\el!ing hat from his satchel. In the next soat were a gentleman and his wife. With tho couple Jim entered into conversation, find soon made himself very agreeable. He casually mentioned that ho was going to Ney York, and made a great display of putting his " ticket " in the band of his hat, lcnurking at the same time that )on£-di&bance tickets weie terribly bulky ailairs. Thin ho talked with othei people in the car, taking particular caie that everybody should ob-erve the ticket in his hat-bmd. When the train started Jim opened the car window and prepared his trap. Hs assumed sleepiness, rented Mb arm on the window-sill, laid his hand on h'h arm in such a way that he could cither hold his hat or let it fall off, and awaited developments. The traii\ was running at a high rate of speed when the conductor came thiough. By this timeJnnwasfysta^loep. ' Tickets,' called the conductor, but Jim did not hear, and bhcoflirial could nobs c the bogus ticket, tor Jin had turned his hat aiound so that ib was,on the other -ide of it. Then the eonductor'gave the sleeper a shake, but it failed o arouse hun. Another ohake followed, and &bil anothei, when, at last, the conductor lost Datience, and, while he exclaimed, ' Hero,\wake up, there,' gave Jim a rougher shaHe bhau those preceding. Now was tho ciitcal moment. Jim jumped up, raising his le[t arm as he did so, which caused his hat ti^ fall out of the window. Half sleepily heUoegan fumbling in his pocket for a tickebwhen the old lady in the next seat volunteered the information that Jim hud put his ticleb in his travelling hat. Jim looked round fir his hat, and now the kind old grentlemaniame to tho icscue by saying that he had s\en tho hat fall out of the window. Jim thin took a turn at the conductor. ' ConfouiU it,' he exclaimed, 'my ticket for New York was in my hat. If you hadn't tried to 4iake Oie life out of me, my hat wouldn't lave fallen oil. I'll report you for tin •* when'we tret to Chicago.' The loud talking hat] attracted the attention of other passeng<rs, se\eral of whom gathered around and volunteered the information that they had seen Jim's ticket. The conductor went on jhiough tho train and reflected that perhaps he had been a little rough. A little l^ter he came back and sab down in tho seib with Jim. Jim told a sbuiig-ht story <nd ilie conductor finally acknowledged hiij erroi, apologised for it, begtred Jim to pa* nothing about it and when they got to Cljcatro took Jim out for dinner, gave him a pjit llask of whisky, a new tia\ellinghat, a ftis& to Now York and an introduction to the Pullman car conductor, with all of wljeh and some sandwiches Jim continued hw journey to New 1 York in style. He arrixed in the city with seventeen cents — *' N. % Times.'